If you have a home battery in APS or SRP territory, it is no longer just backup. Both utilities now run programs that pay you to let them use it, and the numbers are real enough to change the math on your monthly bill. The catch: the same stored energy cannot be in two places at once, and the hours the utility wants it are the exact hours you would want it for yourself.
The offer, in real numbers
Under the APS Storage Rewards Pilot, your battery discharges to the grid when APS calls an event, and APS pays you $110 for every average kilowatt you contribute across the season. APS’s own worked example: a battery averaging 2.11 kW across the events earns 2.11 × $110 = $232.10 for the season. Events run May 1 through October 31, up to 60 of them, and only between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
SRP’s Battery Partner program pays incentives too, but SRP sets them based on your system’s storage size, your load, and your settings rather than a single flat rate — credited to your bill after each season. SRP also runs year-round across both summer and winter, where the APS program is summer-only. It’s a five-year pilot (through April 2030), capped at 5,000 customers. The upshot: both utilities will pay you meaningfully to let them lean on your battery — APS in a published per-kW number, SRP in a credit that depends on your specific setup.
The catch nobody spells out: it is the same hours
Look at that APS window again — 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. It overlaps the exact window that drives your own bill. On APS’s Time-of-Use 4pm–7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge plan, your monthly demand charge is set by your single highest hour of on-peak use between 4 and 7 p.m. That is precisely when you would want the battery discharging into your own house to shave that peak.
Stored energy can only do one job at a time. If your battery is feeding an APS event from 4 to 10 p.m., it is not shaving your own 4-to-7 peak. Some batteries make this sharper — a Tesla Powerwall can reserve its charge for the utility event, so it is not available for your own on-peak use either. APS is upfront about the fit: it says Storage Rewards suits customers who can manage usage around their rate plan without relying on the battery for on-peak bill management, and is a lower fit for people who lean on the battery during on-peak hours and cannot shift that usage.
That is the whole decision in one sentence: shave your own peak, or feed the utility’s event. Real dollars sit on both sides.
Your equipment may decide it before the math does
These programs are brand-specific. APS Storage Rewards covers Enphase, SolarEdge, Tesla, Franklin WH, Fortress, and Emporia equipment — but not Outback or Fox ESS. SRP’s Battery Partner explicitly supports FranklinWH; confirm eligibility for other brands. If your battery platform is not on the list for the program you are considering, the earnings conversation is over before the savings comparison starts. Both programs also require Permission to Operate, internet connectivity, and a residential rate plan.
What we would actually do for you
If your bill is driven by one sharp evening peak, your battery is probably worth more protecting your own bill. If your usage is flatter and you do not lean on the battery during the costliest hours, a utility program may be worth taking. The right answer depends on your utility, your rate plan, and your specific equipment — so we model both paths against your actual bill before recommending one. Most installers cannot tell you which one pays you more. We can.
Want SouthFace to run the numbers on your battery? Start with our service plans.
Sources
- APS Virtual Power Plant — aps.com/en/About/Sustainability-and-Innovation/Technology-and-Innovation/Virtual_Power_Plant
- APS Storage Rewards (BYOD Pilot) — aps.com/en/About/Sustainability-and-Innovation/Technology-and-Innovation/Storage-Rewards
- APS Time-of-Use 4pm–7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge — aps.com/en/Residential/Service-Plans/Compare-Service-Plans/Time-of-Use-4pm-7pm-Weekdays-with-Demand-Charge
- SRP Battery Partner — srpnet.com/energy-savings-rebates/home/residential-solar/battery-partner
General educational information for APS and SRP customers. Program terms, eligibility, event behavior, and equipment support are controlled by the utility. SouthFace does not guarantee savings, program earnings, or program acceptance.
